Trip blade snowplow



Dec. 21, 1954 R, ISTANDFUSS 2,697,289

TRIP BLADE SNOWPLQW Filed April 6, 1951 United States Patent fifice2,697,289 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 TRIP BLADE SN OWPLOW Ernest. RichardStandfuss, Bucyrus, Ohio, assignor to The Burch Corporation, Crestline,Ohio, a. corporation Application April 6, 1951, Serial No. 219,669

6 Claims. (Cl. 37-42) My present invention embodies certain novelimprovements in snow plows of the type which are commonly used today inthe form of attachments for trucks, such plows being pushed by a truckas the motive power for operating the plow. My invention particularlyrelates to the type of snow plow usually called Trip Snow Plows whereinthe mounting of the plow blade and associated mold-board is such thatthe same may yield and rise when the blade meets anv obstructionrequiring, a tilting action of the blade in order to pass over suchobstruction.

Heretofore trip-type snow plows have been mounted upon the truck ormoving vehicle in a manner such that the pivotal supporting means. forthe plow is relatively rigidly connected with the vehicle so thatconsiderable shock is received by the vehicle in meeting obstructions,an. effect of course not desirable, and ofttimes where spring.cushioning means are used to partially absorb such shock condition, saidcushioning means is not effective to quickly restore the plow to itsnormal operating position. When the spring or cushioning means employedare not sufficient by reason of the power of the spring to pull the plowback to its normal operating position, the operator of the vehicle andthe plow attached thereto has to leave his seat on the vehicle andassist in the swinging of the plow and its mold-board back toproperposition by expenditure of manual power.

It is the particular object of my invention to avoid the difiicultiesand disadvantages incident to the foregoing statement of operation ofordinary plows by utilizing spring mounting provisions for the plow forinsuring the restoration of the same to its normal operating positionafter the tilting movement of the mold-board incident to shock actionarising when the mold board and particularly the plow blade thereof meetobstructions requiring the tilting of the plow in order to pass oversuch obstructions.

An important feature of my invention lies therefore, in providing a fullspring mounting for the snow plow, upon the truck or other vehicle whichmay carry the plow and supply the motive force for the propulsion of thelatter, 6

the improvements of this invention doing away with the employment of anyrelatively rigid pivotal mounting means for the plow such as previouslygenerally referred to above.

A full understanding of my present invention and the advantages thereofwill be had upon reference to the following detail description, inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view generally in section illustrating the mounting pushframe connected with the front end of a truck chassis, the snow plowemployed in conjunction with said push frame, and the separate springinstrumentalities connecting the push frame and the moldboard of theplow for obtaining a full cushioned spring mounting for the latter.

Figure 2 is a top' plan view showing the general features ofconstruction illustrated in Figure 1. The hitch between the plow unitand the truck is omitted.

Figure 3 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 1, illustrating therocking action of the plow as carried by the push frame, when the bladeof the plow meets obstruction, the tilting disposition of the mold-boardand blade bringing out somewhat more clearly the action of the springmounting means provided for the plow.

Referring to the drawings, it Will be observed that the snow plow of myinvention is generally of a conventional type. It comprises the blade 1and the. usual mold-board 2v carrying the blade with suitable.attachment means. between the parts 1 and. 2 enabling the renewal of theblade 1 when worn out or for any other purpose.

I employ in conjunction with the plow which is generally designated as Ain. thedrawings, the customary push frame 3,. this frame being made upof a front trans.- verse hollow beam 4, andrearwardly converging anglebars 5, the parts. 4 and 5 being connected by longitudinal angle bars.or like members to provide a. relatively rigid frame structure. Anysuitable means may be employed for connecting the push frame which isgenerally designated as. 3, with the truck or motor vehicle on which theplow unit is to be mounted for forward pushing action under actualconditions of service. The hitch means for the above purpose aregenerally designated at B in the drawings and may be conventional asmentioned above, not being fully shown.

The spring mounting. means of my invention used for supporting the plowA may be said to carry said plow for free floating movements, upwardly,forwardly, rearwardly and downwardly, there being no rigid connection atall between the plow and push frame 3. Said mounting means will now bedescribed.

Projecting upwardly from certain of the longitudinal angle members 6,the central ones as shown in Figure 2, are the spaced brackets 7, havingpivot openings at their upper portions. These brackets are somewhattriangular in shape and are bolted or otherwise rigidly fastened attheir lower portion to the adjacent side of the member 6 upon which theyare mounted. Between the upper portions of the brackets 7 is arranged acylinder having trunnion parts or pins on opposite sides thereof whichare received in the pivot openings at the upper ends of brackets 7.

Within the said cylinder which is, designated as 9 in the drawings,there is mounted the rod 10, having on its rear end an abutment nut ormember 11, between which and the right hand end of cylinder 9 (which isclosed as shown at 9a in Figure 1, except for the provision of anopening through which the front end of the rod 10 extends), is locatedthe compression spring 12. The front end of the rod 10 as mentionedpasses through the right hand end or head of the cylinder 9 and ispivotally connected as shown at 13 with the rear side of the mold-board2. The connecting means between the pivotal supporting bracketsv 7 andthe mold-board 2 of the plow A including the parts 11, 12 and 13 supportthe plow A normally in substantially the position shown in Figure 1; inother words, in this figure the spring 12 is expanded so as to carry therod 10 rearwardly to the limit of movement shown in Figure 1, thusmaintaining the plow A in the operating position also illustrated insaid figure by a resilient pull-back action of said spring 10. Themounting of the cylinder 9 upon the brackets 7 aifords a rocking supportmeans for the cylinder in conjunction with other resilient or springmounting means which will now be set forth.

Projecting downwardly from the underside of push frame 3 adjacent to thefront beam 4 thereof is a series of pairs of lugs 14 having aperturestherein disposed as to each pair on an axis which is slightly inclinedforwardly in the direction of the lower portion of the plow A. In thesaid apertures of each pair of the lugs or bracket members 14 is mounteda slideable connector pin 15, each pin being connected at its front endin a pivotal manner as shown at 16 with the adjacent portion of thelower part of the mold-board 2. At its rear end each pin 15 has a crosspin passing therethrough, designated 17a. Located near the pivotalconnection 16 of each pin with the mold-board there is carried a rigidabutment member 17 attached to the pin. Between this abutment member 17of each pin 15 and the forward of the two lugs 14 supporting such pin isinterposed the compression spring 18 which is normally expanded when theplow A is in its normal operating position.

It will be evidenced from the foregoing description that virtuallyspeaking the plow A is full spring mounted upon push frame 3 of the plowattachment unit. In other words, the plow A is resiliently supported forfree general floating movement on the push frame by reason of theprovisions of the upper centrally disposed spring and cylinder unit at129, and the connecting rod attached to the mold-board 2. So far as 1 amaware, it has not been heretofore proposed to mount a snow plow in theabove described manner for free floating and rocking movement as may berequired by the conditions of operation when the plow is moving forwardto the work or when the plow is required to rock or tilt in the eventthe blade 1 meets an obstruction compelling such action.

By the full spring mounting of the plow A upon the push frame, it isobvious that the general shock incident to the pushing of the plow intothe snow or banks of snow will be absorbed through the upper and lowermounting connections between the plow and the push frame. When the blade1, on the other hand meets an obstruction requiring yielding thereof,the action of the parts will be in part or wholly similar to that shownin Figure 3 as regards the shiftability of the plow A respecting thepush frame and therefore in relation to the motor vehicle on which theplow is carried. In Figure 3 it is apparent that the obstructiondesignated at C has so engaged the blade 1 as to push rearwardly on thelatter as the blade yields against the compressive force of the seriesof springs 18 carried on the pins 15. Under these conditions the plow isadapted to rock on the pivot 16 between the pin and the mold-board 2 andthe upper portion of the mold-board as it moves forwardly pulls the rod10 in the same direction and causes compression of the spring 12. Theobstruction passed, it is obvious that the spring 12 by expansive actionwill pull backwardly upon the upper portion of the mold-board to restoreit from the position of Figure 3 to that of Figure 1, its normalposition. At the same time if the resistance to the forward movement ofthe plow is not unduly great,

the springs 18 on the pins 15 will push the blade and lower portion ofthe mold-board forwardly so that the normal position of the plow A isobtained with the spring 12 expanded and the springs 18 relativelyexpanded as a normal condition, ready to receive and absorb shock and topermit of the yielding of the blade 2 and lower part of the mold-boardwhen obstructions are met requiring the tilting of the plow A in themanner which has been described and is depicted in Figure 3 of thedrawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a snow-plow, in combination, a plow unit comprising a mold-boardand connected plow blade, a push frame in rear of the plow unit disposedapproximately vertically centrally of the mold-board, a spring unitconnecting the portion of the mold-board above the plane of the pushframe with said push frame, and spring means connecting the portion ofthe mold-board below the plane of the push frame, with said push frame,said unit and spring means forming the sole support for the mold-boardand blade.

. 2. A snow plow as claimed in claim 1, in which the spring unitmentioned yieldably resists forward movement of the upper portion of themold-board, and the spring means mentioned resists rearward movement ofthe lower portion of the mold-board.

3. A snow plow as claimed in claim 1, in which the push frame includes across beam parallel to and spaced from the rear side of the mold-board,and in which the spring means recited comprises a series of springs atintervals along said beam acting between the mold-board and push frameto yieldably resist rearward movement of the mold-board.

4. A snow plow as claimed in claim 1, in which the push frame includes across beam parallel to and spaced from the rear side of the mold-board,and in which the spring means recited comprises a series of springs atintervals along said beam acting between the mold-board and push frameto yieldably resist rearward movement of the mold-board, the spring unitcomprising a cylinder rockably mounted on the push frame, a pullrod insaid cylinder, connected at one end to the mold-board, and a spring inthe cylinder engaged with the rod to pull the mold-board rearward afterforward rocking of its upper portion.

5. In a snow plow, in combination, a push frame, a plow unit in front ofsaid frame comprising a blade and a mold-board on which the blade iscarried, and means wholly supporting the mold-board and blade comprisingspring operated devices disposed above and below the plane of the pushframe, the upper of said devices connected to the upper portion of themold-board to resist forward movement of the latter, the lower of saiddevices being connected to the lower portion of the mold-board andresisting the rearward movement of the mold-board.

6. In a snow plow, in combination, a push frame, a plow unit in front ofsaid frame comprising a blade and a mold board on which the blade iscarried, and yieldable supporting means on the push frame whollysupporting said plow unit, the push frame being disposed in a planebetween the upper and lower portions of the mold board, and thesupporting means comprising cushion spring means connecting thepushframe and lower portion of the mold board resisting rearward movement ofthe mold board, and spring means connecting the upper portion of themold board and push frame normally acting to pull said upper portionrearwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,144,763 Heinen June 29, 1915 1,776,788 Gettelman Sept. 30,1930 2,006,761 Frink July 2, 1935 2,139,328 Collins et al Dec. 6, 19382,242,826 Keeler May 20, 1941 2,440,905 Maxim et al May 4, 1948 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 143,396 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1931 189,580Switzerland May 18, 1937

